Making the most out of Easter

Seasonal events can be a powerful way of inspiring shoppers. Easter is a great excuse for people to forget about their busy day-to-day lives and instead think about treating themselves to something a little bit special and indulgent, writes HIM’s Val Kirillovs.

If you take a look at other stores out there on the high street, you’ll notice a lot of retail chains from different sectors getting behind holidays such as Easter and investing in making the outside of stores enticing for shoppers. This should be an important mechanism for convenience retailers, too. Our research shows that 36% of shoppers were just passing by when they decided to come in-store. This is a perfect example of how outside communication can be effective and important to convenience shoppers.

There is a challenge for the convenience sector to overcome this Easter, however. Our research shows that 31% of shoppers said they were spending less on food and drink during Easter compared with last year. This number is slightly higher when compared with other channels in the grocery market. This year it is up to the convenience sector to show that they are capable of catering to shopper needs during the Easter period.

When preparing for Easter, it is imperative to keep in mind that more than half of all c-store shoppers will be cooking a meal at home over the Easter bank holiday weekend. In fact, 72% of those shoppers cooking a meal will be doing so from scratch. Therefore, there is a huge opportunity to inspire shoppers while they are browsing your shelves.

Aside from meal ingredients there are lots of other products that are well worth highlighting in-store in the run-up to and throughout Easter. Categories such as alcohol, premium boxes of chocolates, cards and, of course, Easter eggs should all have clear and eye-catching signage.

But beware! With Mother’s Day taking place not long before Easter, shop floor space may be tight and it can be tough to focus your efforts on either one or the other. Pre-built stands could be a necessity for stores that can afford to part with the space.